The present invention relates to a car-mounted system for displaying and recording images outside a moving car and an image and running state of the car, and particularly, to a system which provides the driver with information on a running state of the car before the car has an accident, and the recorded material after the car had an accident.
In recent years, a car has become one type of vehicle that is a daily necessity for humans. Typically, a driver has to take driving lessons and learn traffic regulations to obtain a driver""s license in a driving school before he actually drives his car. The driving school instructs drivers to drive the car with safety and observe traffic regulations. However, after drivers obtain a driving license, they tend to accelerate their car to speeds in excess of legal speed limits, because haste is often given priority to safety. As a result, drivers have traffic accidents. The number of traffic accident is increasing these days, which bring with it the number of cars into a corresponding increase.
The number of the traffic accident is further increasing these days, which bring number of car into increase.
Everybody desires that traffic accidents be avoided. For the above reason, many drivers try to drive safely, sticking on a window of his driver stickers, on which words are written such that xe2x80x9cThis car is driven at speed less than 80 km per hour on a highwayxe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cAfter you, this car is driven aside by traffic rulesxe2x80x9d. However, when a driver drives a car, he or she is closed inside of their car and can not communicate with outer world. For this reason, some have a complete change in their personality when driving and are apt to cause traffic accidents.
When a traffic accident occurs, an inquisition is often made after the accident. Such inquisition is dependent on the witness between the parties. In many case, it is assumed that if the victim is inexperienced or dies after the accident, the assailant often would lay blame on the victim. That is to say, even if the victim was without fault, the evidence has to be proved.
From the above viewpoints, various systems for investigating the driving state of the driver were proposed with use of cars. Such systems are disclosed in Publication Nos. 1993 5)-20592 (Kumagai), 1993-294188, 1993-137144 (Takahashi), and 1993-345547 (Wolfgang) of unexamined japanese patent applications (Kokai).
Publication No. 1993 (Heisei 5)-20592 discloses a system for recording a running state of the car. The system comprises an image capture device for capturing a forward vision from the car as image input information; a controller apparatus for controlling the image capture device such that the image capture device operates at start of an engine, and such that it detects a stop signal from the engine, the controller apparatus having functions of input/output datum on time, speed, acceleration and deceleration; and a record device for recording at least one of the output datum from the controller apparatus. The image capture device of the system is mounted on a dashboard in the car or a surface of a front portion in vicinity of a radiator grill of the car.
The Publication No. 1993 (Heisei 5)-294188 discloses a car-mounted image record system. The image record system includes a camera provided at the rear or front ends of a car for capturing an image of backward or forward scenery from the car; and a display provided in a cabin of car for displaying the captured image on a scope thereof; a car-mounted image record device accommodated in a heat-resistant box for recording the captured image, which was displayed on the scope of the display; and a signal switch circuit for alternately switching the display or the image recording apparatus; an acceleration detection circuit for detecting a mass of quick brake for the car per a predetermined time; and a microcomputer for controlling said signal switch circuit such that the making of the signal switch circuit is allowed for driving the image record device only at time when the microcomputer detected the mass of brake in excess of the predetermined mass, and thereby image signal is inputted to the image record device.
The Publication No. 1993 (Heisei 5)-137144 discloses a system for monitoring an accident by the use of a digital electronic camera. The system includes a digital electronic camera mounted on a ceiling surface above a driver seat of a car for capturing an image of forward scenery from the car during time when the car is running, and a memory card for recording the captured image. After the memory card is filled to capacity, the recorded image is overwritten by new image data. When sudden brake is applied by the driver, a sensor outputs an urgent signal after the detection of the braked state, thereby the digital electronic camera captures the detected location of the braked state. The captured image is recorded at a predetermined intervals of frames, before the system completes the record operation.
The publication No. 1993 (Heisei 5)-345547 discloses a car-mounted observation/monitor system for traffic accidents. The system includes at least one of electronic detection devices mounted above or inside of a front bumper of an car, and a image storage apparatus connected to the electronic detection devises.
As described above, it is apparent that the conventional systems for investigating the driving state of the driver were directed to only the capture of the image of the forward or backward scenery from the car.
Generally, the evidentiary fact of the traffic accident will be testified, based on a finally stopped location or direction, or damage state of objective cars, and wheel tracks on a road. The reason why many of the accidents are caused is that for example, when one car stopped before passing an intersection, another car comes from the right or left side of the intersection, and collides with the stopped car, when one car stopped before entering a main line from a branch line, another car coming from the main line collides with the stopped car, or when one car runs straight on the road, another car comes and collides with the side face of the former. Therefore, most important evidentiary fact is that either of the cars stopped or ran straight.
It is impossible to exactly testify the evidentiary fact, only based on the final stop location or direction, or damage state of objective cars, and wheel tracks on the road. According to the circumstances, the cause of the traffic accident won""t be found. In order to testify the evidence that the cars stopped or ran, the movement of the cars have to be found. The movement of the cars can be proved by recording a movement of a part of the cars with respect to the surface of the road. Therefore, the conventional system won""t provide the exact testimony.
The conventional systems as described above can capture only an image of a part of the surface of the road on which the car is running. However, the conventional systems provides only a recognition of the movement of an oncoming car with respect to a running car. Therefore, the conventional systems can not always monitor the driving state of the driver to call the driver""s attention to dangerous driving. Furthermore, if the car had an accident, the conventional systems can not provide exact testimony in relationship with a direct or first accident or a second accident caused subsequently to the first accident. Particularly, according to the system disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. 1993 (Heisei 5)-294188, in order to capture an image of movement of the driver""s car, the sudden brake will have to be detected. The system can not testify the stopped state of the driver.
Accordingly, considering the above discussed points, an objective of the present invention is to provide a system for monitoring driving state of a car driver. The car-mounted image record system enables monitoring and record of the car of the driver. Thereby, the car-mounted record system provides control of risky driving of the driver. As a result, the driver always will pay attention to safe driving habits.
Furthermore, if the driver is driving safely before his car has an accident, the car-mounted image record system will prove this. Therefore, the driver can take a reliable drive.
Consequently, when the car mounts the car-mounted image system, the car will actually be called a safely-driven-car. Although the driver has to spend much money on purchasing the car-mounted image record system, such money is not comparable to his life.
It can be said that if all of cars have the car-mounted image system, fewer no car accidents will be caused anywhere in the world. This is a final objective for the present invention, and the applicant""s desire.
The system includes an image capture until mounted on suitable positions of a car for capturing images of scenery outside of the car, the captured image including images of a part of the automobile and the surface of the road. The captured images are displayed on a display of a monitor device in front of a driver, while the image data is always recorded on a record medium of the image record device, and stored in the image record device for providing evidentiary facts, and thereby the dangerous driving of the driver is always monitored. The record device is prevented from breakage caused by the accident, with the use of a protective box with excellence in mechanical strength. The image capture device captures an images of a part of the car of the driver, and a surface of a road in relationship with the car. The captured image is continuously recorded on or stored in the record medium of the image record device.
Furthermore, when the image of the surface of the road in relationship with the car is captured by the image capture device, the image capture device captures the image of the surface of the road extending from the vicinity around the car to the underside of the car. The movement of the car of the driver is exactly proved by the captured image.
The image capture unit comprises a camera disposed in the backward and downward directions at front portion on the side of the car, or disposed in the forward and downward directions at rear portion on the side of the car. In addition, the image capture unit comprises cameras disposed at the front and rear portions of a body of the car or/and disposed at the right and left portions of the body of the car.
Furthermore, the image capture unit comprises a camera for front vision for capturing an image of forward scenery from the car, a camera for rear vision for capturing an image of backward scenery from the car, or a camera for side vision for capturing an image of sideward scenery from the car, each of the captured images including the image of a part of the car. Preferably, the camera for front vision, the camera for rear vision, or the camera for side vision is disposed on opposite sides of the car, respectively.
Furthermore, the image capture unit comprises a camera for front vision for capturing an image of scenery outside of the car, the captured image including forward scenery from the car, and a camera for rear vision for capturing an image of scenery outside of the car, the captured image including backward scenery from the car. Particularly, the camera for front vision, and the camera for rear vision are disposed at the front and rear portions on the opposite side of the body of the car so as to capture wider image of scenery at the side area from the car.
Furthermore, the captured image is displayed on the display of the monitor device, so that the driver can check the operation of the car-mounted image record system.
The image record unit comprises an adapter for compounding images captured by the cameras, and a record device for recording or storing the captured images of the image capture devices. All of the captured images are simultaneously displayed on a scope of the display of the monitor device. The scope of the display is divided into a plurality of areas with same size in accordance with the number of the camera. The monitor device includes a selection switch for selecting an image from the images captured by the cameras so as to cause the image to be displayed on the display of the monitor device.
Furthermore, the car-mounted image record system includes a date/time information write device for additionally writing information on date and time to the images captured by the image capture devices.